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Lorelei
| Lorelei | |
|---|---|
 Lorelei as seen on the cover of Lorelei Presents: House Macabre Art by Louis Small Jr. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | StarWarp Concepts |
| First Appearance |
Lorelei One-Shot Special (1989, digest comic) |
| Created By | Steven A. Roman |
| In-story information | |
| Alter Ego |
Laurel Ashley O’Hara (Originally) Lori (Nickname) |
| Species |
Succubus (Ex-Human) |
| Place of Origin | New York City |
| Team Affiliations | None |
| Partnerships | None |
| Supporting Character Of | None |
| Notable Aliases | Angel of Vengeance |
| Abilities |
Seduction Shape Shifting Super Strength Demonic Power and Abilities Succubus Powers and Abilities Soul Absorption |
For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).
Lorelei is a succubus comic book character created by Steven A. Roman, who wrote and drew her first appearances, and is published by dark-fantasy independent company StarWarp Concepts. Lorelei is a resurrected human, originally born Laurel Ashley O’Hara, who was transformed into a Succubus, and has all of the abilities and powers typically found in Succubi. She has appeared in her own comic book series, as well as the graphic novels Lorelei: Building the Perfect Beast and Lorelei: Sects and the City.
Character Background
Lorelei is described as a Succubus who stalks the streets of New York, a redheaded angel of vengeance who preys on those who would prey on the weak. As deadly as she is beautiful, she takes from evildoers the one thing for which they no longer have a use: Their souls.
Lorelei was originally born Laurel Ashley O’Hara and later in life became a photographer known for her controversial choices of subject matter. Through a series of unfortunate events, Laurel died and was resurrected as the soul-stealing succubus named Lorelei. Forced to abandon her former life, Lorelei finds herself drawn into the shadows of a world she only thought she knew. The city she lived in for all of her life had, in fact, always been a nexus for supernatural activity. Her actions as a newly-christened femme fatale may soon determine whether, not just the city, but the entire planet, will be consumed by the forces of darkness that have forever changed her life . . .
Powers and Abilities
Lorelei has all of the abilities and powers typically found in Succubi. These include shape shifting, super strength, various demonic and Succubus powers and abilities as well as the apparent ability to absorb souls.
Publication History
Lorelei made her debut in 1989, in the Lorelei One-Shot Special—a digest-sized, small-press comic written and drawn by creator Steven A. Roman. “In the Midnight Hour” presented the redheaded succubus for the first time.
Lorelei #1, another small-press issue, followed in 1991, this time with two stories: “Lorelei,” an introduction of sorts to the series, narrated by Lori herself; and “The Architects of Fear,” the first chapter in what would become the basis for the 2012 graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City. Response to the character in the small-press community was so positive that Roman began making plans for moving Lorelei to the next rung on the independent publishers’ ladder: an ongoing comic book series.
In 1993, StarWarp Concepts released the full-size Lorelei, Vol. 1 #0, with Roman now joined by David C. Matthews, a small-press artist known for his female bodybuilder character Satin Steele. Behind a cover by fan-favorite Vampirella artist Louis Small Jr. (who then also provided the cover for #1), the issue served as a prologue to “Building the Perfect Beast,” Lorelei’s multipart origin story.
Shortly after the cancelation of volume 1, Lorelei made a cameo appearance in 1995’s Shi/Cyblade: The Battle for Independents. A collaboration between Crusade Entertainment president Bill Tucci and Top Cow Comics president Marc Silvestri, the special teamed their respective “bad girl” characters, Shi and Cyblade, with a wealth of characters from numerous independent comic book companies to battle mainstream publishing. Lorelei appeared in the midst of a battle scene during the independents’ attack.
Lorelei then made a brief return to her own comic in 1996, when small-press publisher Power Comics released The Lorelei Returns! Special. The one-shot—intended as the precursor to a continuation of the StarWarp Concepts series—contained a recap of volume 1’s issues 0–5, and the new chapter six of “Building the Perfect Beast.” At the same time, Power reprinted Lorelei #1, with plans to re-release the remaining StarWarp issues before moving ahead with new issues. Those plans came to an abrupt halt when Power closed its doors at the end of the year.
In 2002, StarWarp Concepts launched Lorelei, Vol. 2.
The year 2005 saw the debut of Lorelei: Building the Perfect Beast, Vol. 1, which collected Lorelei, Vol. 1 #0–5 in graphic novel form. Though the book received critical acclaim, sales were not strong enough for a continuation of the Lorelei origin story, and plans for a second volume were ultimately abandoned.
In 2012, StarWarp Concepts released the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City.
In 2015, Lorelei Presents: House Macabre #1 was published by StarWarp Concepts. This one-shot special finds Lorelei hosting a horror comic anthology, in the style of classic series such as EC Comics’ Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, and The Vault of Horror, and Warren Publishing’s Vampirella, Creepy, and Eerie. Residing in a crumbling mansion, Lorelei introduces the reader to stories by creator Steven A. Roman and New York Times bestselling author—and former comics writer—Dwight Jon Zimmerman: “All in Color for a Crime,” about a pair of comic book fans clashing over a rare collectible; “Requiem for Bravo 6,” which details the last mission of a unique special ops team; and “The Basilisk,” a one-page history of the mythological monster. Art for the special was provided by Uriel Caton, “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski, Lou Manna, Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo, and cover artist Louis Small Jr.
Gallery
Lorelei
Cover of Lorelei
Volume 2, Issue 1
Cover by Bob Larkin
Cover of Lorelei
Volume 2, Issue 2
Cover by Frank Thorne
Cover of Lorelei: Sects and the City
Cover by Esteban Maroto
Cover of Lorelei Presents: House Macabre
Cover by Louis Small Jr.
Bibliography
- Lorelei One-Shot Special (1989, digest comic)
- Lorelei, Vol. 1 #0–5 (1993–1995)
- Shi/Cyblade: The Battle for Independents (Crusade Comics; cameo appearance) (1995)
- The Lorelei Returns! Special (Power Comics) (1996)
- Lorelei, vol. 1 #1 (reprint, Power Comics) (1996)
- Lorelei, Vol. 2 #1–2 (2002)
- Lorelei: Building the Perfect Beast, Vol. 1 (graphic novel) (2005)
- Strange #10–14 (Organic Comix; serialization of Lorelei: Sects and the City, prologue to chapter 5; published in French) (2009–2011)
- Lorelei: Sects and the City (graphic novel) (July 2012)
- Lorelei Presents: House Macabre #1 (February 2015)